Method and means for covering books with thermoplastic sheeting



June 20, 1967 A. FENER 3,326,578

METHOD AND MEANS FOR covmuue BOOKS WITH THERMOPLASTIC SHEETING Filed July 7, 1966 INVENTOR, ALFRED FENER,

32 w ATTORNEY,

United States Patent 3,326,578 METHOD AND MEANS FOR COVERING BOOKS WITH THERMOPLASTIC SHEETING Alfred Feller, 422 Beach 146th St., Neponsit, N.Y. 11694 Filed July 7, 1966, Ser. No. 563,458 Claims. (Cl. 281-34) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Method and means for forming a book cover on a book from a web of thermoplastic material which is folded as the book is pushed to an advanced position, and then heat-sealed and severed.

The present invention relates to novel method ano means for covering books with thermoplastic sheeting, and particularly for books whose cover panels, whether hard or soft, will fall to horizontal position when the pages are held vertical in hand while the book is resting with its back on a supporting surface.

The principal object of this invention is to provide novel method and means for taking thermoplastic sheeting coming off a continuous supply and forming a cover therefrom directly onto books which are fed in succession along with the sheeting; said cover to have two end pockets in which the distal portions of the cover panels of the book, respectively fit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method of the character described, which is easy to practice, and to provide novel apparatus for carrying out said method, which is simple in construction, reasonable in cost, easy to use, and eflicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a book-covering apparatus embodying teachings of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken at line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing what the apparatus does to a web that is drawn through it, and particularly indicates a book which has been provided with a cover made of said web material, and the cover for the next book to be dealt with, partly made.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the auxiliary rigid panel extending forwardly from the book pusher, which need be used when the books are of the paper-back variety, as they are commonly called.

FIG. 5 .is a diagrammatic representation showing the operable components of the apparatus and one system for the control of their operation using pneumatic and electrical means. This view shows the piping connections associating the pneumatic means, and the wiring diagram of the electrical means which control the operation of the pneumatic means and of the heating and severing wire structure of the heat sealing means.

In the apparatus indicated generally by the numeral 15 in the drawing, a thermoplastic web 16 off a roll 17, revolvably mounted under the table on a supporting bar 17, passes through a slot 18 in the table top 19, and extends thereon towards the sealing bar 20 of an electrical thermal impulse heat sealing device whose pressure bar 21 is normally above and spaced from said sealing bar and movable towards and away therefrom by any suitable means which is here shown to be a pneumatic cylinder 22. In the embodiment shown, said sealing bar 20 is along one edge of said table top, flush therewith, parallel to and spaced from said slot 18, and spans the gap between said table top 19 and another table top section 19' which carries an adjustable stop member 23 thereon. Any suitable former means is provided to fold the web 16, into the formation shown in FIG. 3, as said Web is made to travel towards the stop member 23 atop the table 19. The former means shown, consists of an oblong mandrel plate 24, which is fixed a bit above the table top 19, and extends in cantilever fashion free across said slot 18, and up to the sealing bar 20. The numerals 25 and 26 designate sheet-camming or folding plates, which cooperate with the mandrel to fold the web 16 coming off the roll 17 and passing through said slot 18. These camming plates 25, 26 are fixed in position a bit above the mandrel plate 2-4, overlapping its longitudinal edges respectively as cantilevers extending free towards each other, but they end spaced from each other to allow an upright book lying on its back, to pass therebetween. The inward opposite edges of these plates 25, 26, are of obtuse angled contour, arranged to present the edges 25', 26 in convergent relation towards the free end edge 24' of the mandrel plate 24, and respectively in intersecting relation with the respective longitudinal edges of said plate. It is therefore the edges 25", 26" which are those which are parallel and spaced, to allow the book to pass from the plate 24, onto the table top section 19'; said edges 25", 26" being intermediate the camming edges 25', 26, and the edge 24' of the mandrel plate.

The heating element 20' of the sealing bar 20, is to cut longitudinally through the seam it makes on the plastic web material, so the joined plies remain seamed at each side of the cut as is set forth for instance in the thermal impulse seat sealing means shown in the Langer Patent No. 2,468,460 and the Fener Patent No. 2,961,031. An operating circuit for actuating the heating and cutting element 20', is included in FIG. 5 herein, wherein the primary winding 27 of a step-down transformer 28, in series with an adjustable rheostat 29 and a time delay switch 39, are connected as a group across the power lines 31, 31' of a source 32 of alternating current. Said time delay switch 30, is of the type which closes an electric circuit upon its actuating plunger 34) being depressed, and automatically opens said circuit, a predetermined time delay period thereafter. The length of such time delay is adjustable by means of the adjusting screw 30". This switch means is well known in the art, so no further description or showing thereof is necessary. The secondary winding 33 of said transformer, is connected across the terminals of the heating element 20.

The apparatus 15 includes a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 34 controlled by valve means indicated generally by the numeral 35, and another double-acting pneumatic cylinder 36 controlled by the valve means designated gen- 'erally by the numeral 37, besides the double-acting cylinder 22 which is controlled by the valve means denoted generally by the numeral 38. All said valve means are identical and are of the type which include two solenoids. When one of the solenoids is actuated, a supply of compressed air is directed into one end of the cylinder it is associated with and the other cylinder end is connected to the atmosphere. When the second of said solenoids is actuated, the compressed air supply is connected to said other end of the cylinder while the first-mentioned end of the cylinder is connected to the atmosphere, which is a well known electrically-operated valve construction. The ends of the cylinder are connected to the valve chamber, and an opening in the latter to the atmosphere, is indicated by the numeral 39 in the valve means shown at 38. The cylinder 34 is horizontally positioned, so its piston acting as a ram 40, is used to push the book from its initial position on the mandrel plate 24, to the stop element 23. The cylinder 36 is upright, and its piston carries a cross bar 41, which in cooperation with the cross bar 42 at the end of a cantilever blade spring 43, acts as a clamp to feed the web off the supply roll 17. As mentioned, the cylinder 22 is used to swing the pressure bar 21 about the axis 44, towards and away from the sealing bar 20. The letters A, A and A", denote :the valve ports for connection to a compressed air supply, not shown.

One manner of control means for the apparatus 15, is shown in FIG. 5, wherein there is the switch 45, which when closed, actuates the solenoid 46, and there is the micro-switch 47, which when closed, actuates the solenoids 48 and 49. There is a micro-switch 50 which when closed, actuates the solenoid 51, and there is the microswitch 52, which when closed, actuates the solenoid 53, and also there is the micro-switch 54, which when closed, actuates the solenoid 55. The said switches 45, 47, 50, 52 and 54, .are respectively in series with the solenoids they respectively control, and so the terminals of the group constituting a switch and its related solenoid, are connected across the power lines 31, 31'. For example, a conductor 56 connects one terminal of the switch 54 to one terminal of the solenoid 55, thus making one group of a switch and solenoid connected in series. One terminal of this group is connected by a conductor 57 to the power line 31, and the other terminal of such group is connected by a conductor 58 to the other power line 31';

The switch 45 is readily accessible to the operator. It may be a push button type switch mounted on the table '19, or it may be a pedal switch on the floor. The switch 52 is mounted on the mandrel plate 24', behind the head of the ram 40, so that when the apparatus is in its rest condition ready to start as shown in FIG. 1, said switch 52 is closed. All switches aforementioned, are of the nor mally open type. The switch 47 is mounted on the underside of the table 19, to be closed when the spring 43 is swung up when the piston of the cylinder 36 has reached its uppermost position. The switches 30 and 50 are fixed above the arm 21, as in FIG. 5, to be closed by said arm when the piston of the cylinder 22 has reached its uppermost position, which is when the pressure bar 21 clamps the plastic Web against the sealing bar 20. The switch 54 is on the stop element 23, to be closed when contacted by a book that has reached said stop element. Said switches are not shown in FIG. I, in order to attain clarity of illustration.

' The apparatus 15 is shown in its rest condition in FIGS. 1 and The pressure bar 21 of the heat sealing means is in its raised position, which is high enough so a book 63 positioned as in FIG. 3, can pass thereunder. The bookpushing ram 40 is in its remote position to the right in FIG. 1, and so the switch 52 is closed. The web-clamping bars 41 and 42, are in their lowest positions and apart. All the other switches are in open condition. The condition of the valve 35 is such that its intake port A is communicative with the left end of the cylinder 34. The condition of the valve 37 is such that its intake port A" is com municative with the upper end of the cylinder 36. The condition of the valve 38 is such that its intake port A is communicative with the upper end of the cylinder 22.

To prepare for operation, the lead end of the web 16 off the roll 17, is passed between the spaced clamping bars 41, 42, then through the slot 18 in the table 19, whereupon its longitudinal margins 60, 60 are bent towards each other over the mandrel plate 24, and the lead end of the web is pulled to lie beyond the sealing bar 20, with its overlaps 60, 60 lying between the mandrel plate and the camming plates 25, 26 respectively, The switch 64, interposed in the power lines 31, 31', is closed, a supply of compressed air is connected to the valve intake ports' A, A',"A, and the switch 45 is closed for a moment. This makes the apparatus to go through one cycle of operation which will be explained, in order to operate the sealing means to make the seams 61, 61', for joining the overlapping lead edge portions of the web, whereby corner pockets are formed in the web to respectively receive corresponding distal corners of the cover panels 62, 62-of a book 63. It is to be noted that the seamed regions are atop the sealing bar 26 at this time, and what was trimmed off the lead end of the web by the severing action of the sealing bar, has been removed by the operator.

The cycle of operation to cover a book 63, is as follows. The pages of the book are held together in hand and the book is laid with its back, to the right of the former camming plates 25, 26, on the mandrel plate 24, in FIG. 1, so the back is along the web, and the book cover panels 62, 62' will fall onto the mandrel plate. The book is then slid a bit to the left in FIG. 1, so said cover panels shall enter below the inturned regions 60, 60 of the web, respectively. This also centers the book and puts it in line for action by the ram 40. Now the switch 45 is momentarily closed by the operator. This actuates the solenoid 46, and thereupon the valve 35 is set in such condition that the intake port A is made communicative with' the right end of the cylinder '34. This causes the ram 40 to move and push the book 63 to the stop element 23. As soon as the ram has moved a bit, the switch 52 will assume open condition and the solenoid 53 will become deactuated. As soon as the book has reached the stop element 23, it closes the switch 54, whereupon the solenoid 55 will be actuated and thus set the valve 38 in such condition that the intake port A thereof is made communicative with the lower end of the cylinder 22. This causes the pressure bar 21 to move downward and to press the web material against the sealing bar 20, thereupon closing the switches 30 and 50. It is to be noted that the book in its travel towards the stop element, has engaged the seamed portions at the lead end of the web, and in thisi instance, the book being one having hard cover panels, such panels have entered intothe corner pockets initially prepared as aforesaid, and thus the web was pulled along towards the stop element 23, and automatically, the camming plates of the folding means, in cooperation with the mandrel plate 24, folded over more of the longitudinal edge regions of the web as they came into contact with said camming edges.

Upon the closing of the switch 30, the heating wire structure 20' receives current from the transformers secondary winding 33, for a prescribed period of time as determined by the timer 30, thereby causing the overlapped portion of the web to be seamed and such seam to be severed lengthwise thereof, so seams have been accomplished at 64, 64 to complete the plastic cover on the, book 63, and at 65, 65' which are the starting seams for the next plastic cover to be made. Upon the mentioned severence by the heating-cutting wire 20', the covered book did of course become a separate entity and is placed in stock for further dealing, as for storage or shipment.

Upon the closing of the switch 50, the solenoid 51'was actuated, thus setting the valve 37 in such condition that the port A" is made communicative with the lower end of the cylinder 36, whereupon the cross bar 41 did rise whereupon it clamped the Web against the cross bar 42. The continued upward movement of the cross bar 41, stressed the spring 43 and pulled some of the web off the roll, preferably a length equal to that required for making one plastic cover for a book. The frictional engagement of the web in the folder means, is sufficient to avoid web movement backwardly through the slot 18. At

the uppermost position of the cross bar 42, it closed the switch 47, which caused the actuation of the solenoids 48 and 49; such switch being common in both the circuits of these two solenoids. Thereupon, the intake port A was made communicative with the left end of the cylinder 34, whereupon the ram 40 was returned to its normal rest position as shown in FIG. 1, and simultaneously, the intake port A was made communicative with the upper end of the cylinder 36, whereupon the cross bars 42 and 41 again assumed their normal rest lowered positions in spaced relation as shown in FIG. 1. It is to be noted that when the ram 40 returned to normal rest position, that it closed the switch 52, and so the intake port A was made communicative with the upper end of the cylinder 22, because of the actuation of the solenoid 53, and so the pressure bar 21 was caused to swing upward to its normal rest position away from the sealing bar 20, as shown in FIG. 1. Upon removal of the book which was just covered, the switch 54 is opened. The entire apparatus is now in normal rest condition. The cycle of operation has been completed and the apparatus 15 is ready to receive the next book to be covered.

It is evident that all the operator does, is hold the book by its pages after he has set it as mentioned on the mandrel plate 24 and against the head of the ram 40, and he momentarily closes the switch 45. The apparatus from then on works automatically until the book is covered. If the operator wishes, he may release his hold on the book as soon as the pages enter a bit between the camming plates 25, 26. At completion, he removes the covered book.

The stop element 23 should be so positioned that the cover a book is provided with, should preferably fit snugly thereon, unless some degree of looseness is desired, which can also be determined by the position of said stop. The thickness of the mandrel plate 24, should be approximately that of a hard cover panel. The heating and severing element 20 is of course longer than the width of the mandrel plate, and the pressure bar 21 on its mount 21' must of course clear the tailing end of the book when the latter is up against the stop element, to get a snug-fitting plastic cover.

When the cover panels 62, 62 of the book 63 to be covered are not stiff enough to be able to pull the web when set into the corner pockets formed by the seams 61, 61' respectively, then to supply a rigid lead edge which could accomplish the drag, I provide a plate 66 which extends forwardly from the lower edge of the ram head 40, for the book to rest on. It is evident that the forward edge 66' of said plate 66, will pull the web. The axis of said ram is centrally of said plate 66 which is of a size just equal to the area covered by the book positioned as in FIG. 3. Said plate is of thin rigid sheet metal and is made to be easily attached and removed by having a lateral tab with holes for screws 67 which enter threaded holes in the forward face of the ram head 40. When this plate is used to support soft covered books, the pages of the book are held together in hand the entire time it is on the machine. Said plate 66 may be permanently attached, for it will serve equally well whether the book cover panels are hard or soft.

For the practice of this invention, it may be desired to have a totally hand-operated apparatus, which of course would have the circuit for actuating the heating element 20 of the heat sealing means; such circuit comprising the transformer 28, the time control switch 30, the power source 32 and the optional rheostat 29, associated as shown, but all pneumatic cylinders, their valve means, the switch controls therefor and their electrical connectors, would be omitted, for the work of such cylinders, would be done manually by the operator.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications and manners of practice, without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein disclosed; reference being bad to the following claims rather than to the specific description and showing herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. The method for forming a thermoplastic film cover directly onto books in succession, which consists of horizontally supporting the lead region of a thermoplastic web from off a continuous supply, folding the longitudinal edge regions of the lead region towards each other on the upper surface of the web, seaming by the use of heat, each pair of overlapping plies at the lead edge of the web, laying a book with its back on and along the unfolded portion of the web and holding the pages of said book together in upright position so the cover panels of said book extend in opposite directions on the unfolded portion of the web, pushing the book so the distal lead corners of said panels enter under said folded over longitudinal regions and engage said seams respectively at the lead end of the web, pulling said lead end while said engagement continues and folding the longitudinal edge regions of said web as respective continuations of the first folded over portions; seaming by use of heat, each pair of overlapping plies of the web at the tail end of the book, and severing the web across the last-mentioned seams intermediate their longitudinal edges so the web portion on the book is separated from the remainder of the web.

2. In an apparatus for forming a thermoplastic film cover directly onto books moved in succession therethrough, the combination of an electrical heat sealing and severing device of the thermal impulse type positioned between, and at predetermined distances respectively from, a stop element and a former means; means to support and guide a web to the former means for movement therethrough towards the stop element; said former means being adapted to receive the web therethrough and bend the longitudinal edge regions of said web towards one another over the webs upper surface as the web is moved through said former means towards said stop element; said device comprising a pressure bar, and a sealing bar having a heating and web-severing wire structure .therealong facing said pressure bar; said bars being normally a predetermined distant apart, one above the other; said .bars being relatively movable to bring them together to clamp web layers interposed between them, and then away from each other; said bars being positioned lengthwise perpendicularly across the line of direction from the former means to said stop element, whereby folded web material leaving the former means will enter between said bars, switch means operable in timed relation with respect to the movement of said bars, to pass a pulse of current through said wire structure while the bars are together, and means to support a continuous supply of web material, positioned so that the leading end portion of a web supply when mounted thereon, can be presented by said web-guiding and supporting means into the former means; said former means including two simultaneously-acting webfolding parts for moving the longitudinal edge regions of a web towards each other over the webs upper surface respectively, when a web is moved towards said stop element through said former means; said former parts having a space between them and immediately underneath them for permitting movement between them of a books pages held erect and its cover panels extending outwardly horizontally in opposite directions respectively under said former parts, and a table structure supporting said former means and said stop element thereon, whereby the central region of the web is horizontally positioned when passing through the former means and in its travel to the said stop element.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, includng a first reciprocating means for relatively moving said bars of the heat sealing means towards and away from each other, a member mounted for movement from a normal rest position, to push a book to travel along its back between said parts of the former means and to said stop element, a second reciprocating means for moving said book-pushing member towards and away from said stop element a predetermined distance, and means for operating said first and second reciprocating means in a predetermined timed relation.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, including a normally-open web-clamping means mounted for movement away from the web-supply support and back again to a normal rest position; said web-clamping means being positioned to receive material leaving said web-supply support means, a third reciprocating means for closing and moving said clamping means away from the websupply support means and then back again whereupon thetclamping means is opened, and means for operating said first, second and third reciprocating means in a pre determined timed relation.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, including a plate carried on the book-pushing member, for supporting the book with its cover panels extending horizontally 8 in opposite directions and lying on said plate; said plate being out of the former means when the book-pushing member is at its normal restposition and passes into the former means when said book-pushing member is moved towards the stop element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,232,640 2/ 1941 Schwartzman 11-2 X 2,640,207 6/1953 De Florez et a1. 111 2,889,675 6/1959 Anderson 53-220 3,006,122 10/1961 Weishaus 5 3-182 3,085,381 5/1962 Hosso 156251 X 3,106,502 10/1963 Starger et a1. 156-251 LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Exarniner. 

1. THE METHOD FOR FORMING A THERMOPLASTIC FILM COVER DIRECTLY ONTO BOOKS IN SUCCESSION, WHICH CONSISTS OF HORIZONTALLY SUPPORTING THE LEAD REGION OF A THERMOPLASTIC WEB FROM OFF A CONTINUOUS SUPPLY, FOLDING THE LONGITUDINAL EDGE REGIONS OF THE LEAD REGION TOWARDS EACH OTHER ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE WEB, SEAMING BY THE USE OF HEAT, EACH PAIR OF OVERLAPPING PLIES AT THE LEAD EDGE OF THE WEB, LAYING A BOOK WITH ITS BACK ON AND ALONG THE UNFOLDED PORTION OF THE WEB AND HOLDING THE PAGES OF SAID BOOK TOGETHER IN UPRIGHT POSITION SO THE COVER PANELS OF SAID BOOK EXTEND IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ON THE UNFOLDED PORTION OF THE WEB, PUSHING THE BOOK SO THE DISTAL LEAD CORNERS OF SAID PANELS ENTER UNDER SAID FOLDED OVER LONGITUDINAL REGIONS AND ENGAGE SAID SEAMS RESPECTIVELY AT THE LEAD END OF THE WEB, PULLING SAID LEAD END WHILE SAID ENGAGEMENT CONTINUES AND FOLDING THE LONGITUDINAL EDGE REGIONS OF SAID WEB AS RESPECTIVE CONTINUATIONS OF THE FIRST FOLDED OVER PORTIONS; SEAMING BY USE OF HEAT, EACH OF PAIR OF OVERLAPPING PLIES OF THE WEB AT THE TAIL END OF THE BOOK, AND SEVERING THE WEB ACROSS THE LAST-MENTIONED SEAMS INTERMEDIATE THEIR LONGITUDINAL EDGES SO THE WEB PORTION ON THE BOOK IS SEPARATED FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE WEB. 